Tales Of The Craftlands
by iamsolarflare
Summary: A collection of oneshots and twoshots set in the world of the Craftlands. Requests for info on certain things welcome. Generally here for world comprehension. No Youtubers, but some Herobrine and plenty of other people. T for violence; I'm not kidding on this one.
1. Introduction

Tarabethel Cord here!

This is the introduction to a story anthology which I'm not allowed to read; how weird is that!? Yeah, apparently it contains things from the future and such that I shouldn't know. Things that will, however, help readers generally grip on the weird world that is the Craftlands.

So yeah. There will be myths, legends, probably traditional songs, editorials, stories from present day, in general just things, some of which I won't ever find out.

Of course I'm hacking jealous, but I _do _get to put my glossary here which sweetens the deal a bit. Right after the World's Divergence which I _can't believe_ you guys don't know. And then I'm not allowed to read any further.

You guys are. En-_joy_.


	2. The World's Divergence

Long ago, there was a dreamer with a great idea who called himself Notch. This man decided that he would make a new world for other dreamers to play in, and because in this world you Crafted and Mined, he dubbed it Minecraft.

The land grew in popularity quickly, and more and more dreamers joined, and that was when something odd happened.

One of the earliest dreamers died, and when he woke up he found himself inside the world. Curious as to what had happened to him, he began to watch other, less aware dreamers from afar in order to get his bearings. To avoid causing panic, he chose the simplest skin he could thing of - a basic edit of the basic form all dreamers took, with plain white eyes distinguishing him from someone ordinary.

One day, though, somebody saw him, and as dreamers are wont to do they created an entire legend around the figure, claiming that the watcher was Notch's dead, malevolent, glowing-eyed brother, and from there the dreamers began to dream on their own.

They began to change the environment, their minds fast making Minecraft spread beyond the boundaries it was supposed to have. In order to control the flow of ideas, Notch called a friend of his named Jeb, who helped him with the world's expansion.

All worked for a while, but the dreamers still expanded the world too fast. In desperation, Notch and Jeb could find only one solution - they would split the world in two. One world would still be called Minecraft, and this would be where the dreamers actually roamed. Because Jeb was fond of it, he would rule this area. The other would be called Minecraftia, and in it would reside all ideas of things that dreamers made. Notch chose to rule this world.

However, as the split was being made, something very perplexing happened. Because the dead, white-eyed dreamer had made such an impact on Minecraft, a third world branched off from Minecraftia. It was meant for the dead Player, of course, but he did not want to take it. This wild, godless, untamed world was known as the Craftlands, and known of by few.

And so, the worlds diverged - Jeb guarding Minecraft, Notch watching over Minecraftia, and nobody at all overseeing the Craftlands.

And then, one day, somebody was. (1)

Someone, somewhere found the Craftlands and decided it did need to become a world of its own, so they created two gods to oversee it. These gods were Thaes of Light and V***** of Dark. (2)

At first, the two got along quite well until V***** became convinced that Thaes was more in favor than him. Furious, he swore to destroy the world and began attempting to shroud the Craftlands in darkness once more.

Thaes fought him off, and as she did so the world began to go from a single world to four; the Craftlands proper, the Nether, Xath, and the End. When V***** was finally defeated, she imprisoned him in his own creation, the Void, and pushed all of the Void into the End.

Eventually the god of darkness began to rise this more, this time strengthened by the Void and his insanity, and Thaes created four deities to help her defeat him. Cyro of Wind pushed materials apart whenever he struck, leaving new, loose, fertile soil. Gaea of Earth made objects more solid and caused lands to rise and fall into terrains. Kirin of Fire blazed through opposition, drawing her power from the Nether and leaving ashes in her wake, and Sereolis of Water extinguished the fires set by Kirin and helped her fellows harmonize in combat.

Together the five gods stopped V***** once more, imprisoned him once more, and pushed the End farther away. And yet, the god still rose, this time mad with blackened power.

Again, four new gods stepped forth. Cyro created Archien, god of Storm, whose lightning set fire to the land and vanquished foes with ease. Sereolis created Ito of Ice, who froze water and created different areas with his power. Gaea created Ledon, god of Growth, whose very step caused life to bloom wherever he walked or thought. Most importantly of all, though, was Kirin's protege. Megaera of Spirit created will, and the living beings around her became more than just dumb animals, but faint images of the nine gods. V***** was pushed back, this time for good.

People came. The land flourished and everything was good.

There are, of course, those who say V***** will rise again, but as long as all people of the Craftlands live in harmony, most agree it will never happen.

* * *

(1) There are two tales about what happened, one involving Notch and the other involving a more obscure god, known as the Author, but for now the only important thing is what everyone knows to be true.

(2) There is not a single piece of writing that has this god's name intact!


	3. Tara's Essential Craftlands Glossary

Hey, Tarabethel here again. I guess some people don't know all the terms in my stories (makes some sense), so I'll be recording them along with approximations of what they mean and where they appear. Also included are little bits of lore people might not know about the Craftlands. It'll update with any new terms in my tale.

In other words, welcome to the glossary!

(Oh yeah, and I'm still pissed that I can't read ahead)

* * *

_**Book 1**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

**Wither: **Void tank, essentially a three-headed dragon except more than one can exist at the same time. Usually imprisoned in mountains marked as cursed. Somehow I found an unmarked mountain - ugh.

**Had it to the sky: **Essentially, saying "I've had it up to here" but usually used in a bit more severe conditions. My personal favorite curse, to be honest.

**Herobrine:** If you've been reading my stories for any amount of time, you've probably noticed that the Herobrine in them doesn't exactly correspond to the Craftlands legend - that he's the god of chaos and sworn enemy of the human race. In the lore, he's said to be able to fly, control lightning, tell the future, speak any language, and be extremely strong and undetectable if he so desires. A couple of stories also give him the ability to control darkness.

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

**Mountain temples: **Besides the fact that there's an ornately decorated hidden door somewhere in the side of the mountain, these temples look like normal extreme hills from the outside. Inside, people will find treasure, traps, and soaring ceilings.

**Floating sand/gravel: **Occasionally, there's a flood and it'll pack sand and gravel so tightly together that it's capable of functioning like stone or dirt, hanging in the air with support only on one or more sides. If disturbed (and it can take little more than a shout or stamped foot), it'll fall.

**Nether leaks: **Sometimes someone decides to build a Nether portal out of flawed obsidian, and the result is a portal that spews out monsters and Nether materials. They're always boxed in two layers of pure _unflawed _obsidian. Also, sometimes they can transport people to weird places.

**Xanthian ruins: **_Spoilers. _I'm saying nothing, besides that they float and are in weird locations.

**Netherborn: **I guess a long time ago, humans used to live in the Nether, of all places! They built towering forts and could resist heat easily. No more survive as humans. Maris has confirmed that they did indeed all have a distinctive accent like hers.

**Hack/hacking: **While it can mean cutting something apart in a semi-sloppy manner, it also seems to have another meaning as a sort of curse used in various situations. Interestingly enough, nobody seems to know why.

**Kirin: **Goddess of fire. Patron god of fire mages and Blazes (fiery monsters). Supposedly extremely short-tempered. Occasionally also the war god, but that varies.

**Reborn: **If a person dies in a certain circumstance, they can ask to be reborn as another type of creature but keep their memories, personality, and most of their human form. Maris is a Reborn Blaze, which means her death had to involve fire.

**Netherbound: **An insult meaning that someone's a bad person and (so goes the lore) they'll be turned into soul sand and tormented in the Nether. I always thought it was rather severe, but Herobrine and Maris use it like it's nothing.

**Respawn: **Literally an illegitimate child, figuratively someone who's not nice. Often used with "Netherbound" for emphasis.

**Bedrock above: **Refers to the Nether sky, which is apparently bedrock. Means "I'm surrounded by idiots" and isn't really all too bad of a curse.

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

**Thaes knows: **Since Thaes is the goddess of light and knowledge, saying "Thaes knows" is basically saying "nobody knows", "who knows?", or "heaven knows."

**Ito's name: **Ito, god of ice and snow, is often also regarded as the god of unusual circumstances, so saying the phrase "Ito's name" (often accompanied by "what in") is another way of saying "what the hack" or "what in the world."

**Sereolis: **Goddess of water and bodies of water. Desert wells are said to be small shrines to her in addition to being places for travelers to drink.

**Diamond sider: **There are factions in the Craftlands; most humans belong to side Diamond, which upholds the core belief that humanity must be the most powerful and ruling species to preserve the world's integrity.

**Steve: **There's a lot of differently worded prophecies surrounding this name, in general they sum up to that whoever bears the name will come from nowhere, join forces with several people, and ride to stop evil. Except a lot of the prophecies also say that Steve doesn't stop the evil, that he fails and someone else takes his place? Yeah, it's confusing. I can't really explain further.

**Witch trials: **All too common in the Craftlands. Throw someone in water; if they can swim then they're a witch and must be burned at the stake. If they drown, well, they weren't a witch but they're still dead. Kinda sucks.

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

**Deadflesh/deadmeat: **Literally food for zombies. Figuratively someone who's in a large amount of trouble with next to no way out.

**Deeprock: **Similar to "deadflesh". Means "in big trouble."

* * *

**_Chapter 7_**

**Diamonders:** Short for "Diamond siders."

**Nochites/Radical Nochites:** People who worship Notch as their god. They're the main people that believe in the hero Steve. Most of them are side Diamond, and all of them are good at battle as part of their religion is war-oriented. Radicals are meaner and have been known to kill people without being provoked.

**Notch's name:** Ever need a Nochite to pay attention to you? Slip in the word "Notch", and they're ready to listen. Really, this phrase is just a replacement for "Ito's name."

**Side Void:** Nasty, nasty people who follow the god of darkness, V*****. They believe that the fate of the world is for it to be swallowed by darkness. Most of them have some type of nasty power, and they always have at least one solid black eye. Sometimes they've got makings underneath that eye as well, but that may vary.


	4. The Other Him

**((Is Tara gone? Yes? Okay, hi then! Welcome to another Tale Of The Craftlands! This one's featuring one of those legends that roam the land. Because, y'know, Herobrine's not the only deadly one out there.**

**((This one took me a _really_ long time to write; one might call it a labor of love. I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed this!**

**((Enjoy!**

* * *

The fortress is actually more of a castle, really. Lava bubbles below it, the land around it seared dry by the heat, and it soars high up into the sky. Every piece of architecture is sharp, pointy, and probably able to kill someone if used in the right way.

Not that the tall man hiding atop the trees needs to use any other pointy objects. He has enough tricks as is.

With a flourish seen by nobody, he takes off his cloak and folds it neatly over a branch, then closes his eyes and drags a fingernail through the grooves under his left eye. Eventually, something trickles down his cheek - the scars have reopened, sending lines of blood down his face.

His disguise - or perhaps lack of one - readied, he hops down from the tree and approaches the entrance.

"Nice night." His voice is rough and low, that of someone speaking through an injury to their vocal chords.

The guards stare at each other for a few seconds, their knuckles white and tightly gripping their spears.

"Guarding this place must be awful, huh?"

The one on the right manages to sputter out enough words to be understood. "Y-you're... him?"

The tall figure chuckles. "Yeah. But like I was saying, nice night for a walk, no?"

He steps back a few feet and waves his hand towards the forest. "And it's an even better night over _there_, away from... well, yours truly I suppose."

The one on the left lunges suddenly, aiming his spear at the tall man's gut, but he never reaches that target. Instead, the figure catches him by the collar and tosses him over the bridge. He lands with a sickening _CRUNCH_.

The figure winces. "Oh dear. Missed the lava."

The remaining guard turns and flees instantly, bolting into the forest as fast as his legs can carry him.

Shrugging his shoulders airily, the tall man kicks the door open with a grin.

The hallway he's in is lit dimly, mostly done so by lava flowing down the sides in glass encasements. He frowns and sniffs the air.

It's humid, moist even, and the room isn't too hot. There must be a large cooling room somewhere nearby, likely under the floor.

Cooling rooms mean water, and that's a _very_ good sign.

He continues onward, footsteps echoing in the empty hall, holding his weapon at the ready.

It doesn't take long for the soldiers to come. There are five surrounding him soon, spears poking into his side.

"Freeze! Don't move a muscle!" one shouts.

The man raises an eyebrow, then ever so slowly lifts his hands over his head, still holding his staff. Water trickles up from the ground around him, pooling around everyone's feet.

He lets go of the weapon, letting it clatter to the floor, and in the brief moment where everyone blinks at the noise he elbows one man in the gut and steps back into the space created.

As the men press in, he snaps his fingers and the puddles of water become thin pillars. The soldiers stare at each other, then at the water. One, the fighter that was elbowed in the gut, turns tail and runs. Another drops his weapon, raises his hands in clear surrender, and backs up against the wall.

The other three keep coming, one drawing a sword and the others charging with their flimsy spears. He kicks out to the left, attempting to knock away the spear, but doesn't quite manage to get it. The point grazes past his side and through his dark shirt, drawing blood.

He doesn't even flinch, just draws back his fist and punches the man in the face with enough force to drive the man backwards into one of the fountains of water.

The liquid splashes over the soldier, soaking him completely. As he moves to rejoin the fight, the tall man cocks his head to the side, reptilian eyes glinting, and the soldier collapses to the ground suddenly with a yowl.

As the two remaining guards stare in horror at their ally, who is now leaking clear liquid and dust, he makes his move again, this time sweeping up his staff and thrusting the pointed end into the guts of the second spear-holder.

The man with the sword holds his weapon out in front of him, looking around nervously.

"Come on now, you don't _really _care for your boss that much, do you?" asks the tall man, bending down to remove his own weapon from the body of the fallen soldier. "Just put that down, take your friend over there," he nods at the soldier who had already given up and was currently trembling with fear, hands raised and his back against the wall, "and leave. I promise I won't chase you."

The sword-wielder nods hesitantly, then nods at the other man and slowly walks away, glancing over his shoulder every so often as if afraid the tall man will give chase.

Of course, the man has no interest in such a thing, instead pushing open a nearby door and striding in as if he owned the room.

Two men sit facing each other, one with a large scratch mark marring half his pale face and a muscular body, the other lean with long brown hair in a ponytail reaching halfway down his back.

"-and although you have insulted me multiple times, Anagard, I am still perfectly willing to make amends-"

The speaker, the lean man with his back to the door, pauses and turns around, looking straight at the tall man.

"Ah. It seems the Craftlands Killer himself has graced us with his presence. Take a seat, please." With a calm expression on his face, the man stands up and offers his chair to the killer, moving to stand directly behind Anagard instead.

"What in Ito's name do you think you're doing, offering _him_ a seat?" Anagard sputters, his spittle flying. "Do you not _realize_ who this man is, Apollo?"

Apollo sighs and rubs his temples, purple and gold robe rustling. "I'm no idiot, Anagard. I was attempting to be hospitable in order to dissuade him from killing the both of us. You have now ruined that plan." He reaches into his robes, drawing a blade out. "So unfortunately, now somebody has to die."

Anagard sits back with a smug smile on his face. "Two against one, T-"

The sword slips into the muscular man's back, making no sound except for the rustle of clothing and a man choking on his own blood.

Apollo removes the blade and steps back from the body, then carefully wipes off the weapon on the dead man's clothes before sheathing it again.

"Tungsten."

The tall man inclines his head slightly. "Apollo. I can't say I expected you here, of all places."

"I _am_ a diplomat, and Anagard's drunkenness has been brought up one too many times."

Tungsten smiles slightly. "Although it isn't exactly within your jurisdiction to kill people."

"He did utter several slurs to the kingdom, my parentage, and general appearance. Anyways, you're here." Apollo laughs quietly. "As much as I don't wish to raise the bounty on your head more..."

"Yes, yes." Tungsten snaps his fingers, and the muscular man's corpse dissolves into water and dust.

"Thank you. Now, I assume you're not here for him alone?"

"No."

"Lore then. I can't say I'm not worried about you going to fight him. He _is _likely a dual elementalist, you know. And rumored to be side Void."

Tungsten shrugs, wiping away a little of the blood from underneath his eye. "You know me."

"Always in it over your head, aren't you little brother?" Apollo sighed. "And you're already injured too."

"I am?"

Another deep sigh from the robed man. "Near your waist, on the left side. You can't honestly tell me you didn't notice _that _one."

"I can." Tungsten looks down at his torso with a puzzled frown. "It's been getting worse lately."

"Well, please at least patch it up before you fight Lore." Apollo picks up a shirt from Anagard's remains, tears it into a long strip, and hands it to Tungsten. "_Hopefully_ you remember how to cover wounds."

Tungsten carefully bandages his side, then stands up. "Will you allow me to leave now?"

His older brother looks at the other's bleeding scars with a slightly disapproving frown. "Do you still feel the need to do that to your face, Tungsten?"

"It's part of how people see me."

"True. In that case, it's probably time for the both of us to go." Apollo stands up and holds the door open, smiling slightly. "After you, Craftlands Killer."

Tungsten strides to the door, pauses in the threshold, then turns back towards his brother. "Coming?"

"I'm afraid I have other business to attend to. Not that I wouldn't like to help you out, of course."

The tall man nods, then walks away.

Very few guards accost him on the way there, and those that do are quickly dealt with.

Finally, he reaches a tall iron door with darkness staining most of it. Judging by the general intricacy and height of the door and frame, it's clearly Lore's room.

He kicks the door, and it swings open silently.

"_Lore!_" His voice echoes in the large atrium he's now entered. Lava flows downward from the ceiling and under the floor, this time not encased by glass. The heat is overwhelming, and unfortunately the air feels dry this time.

Just as he's realizing exactly how hard this fight is going to be, he senses someone behind him and whips around.

He's not quick enough. A foot strikes the middle of his back and he's sent sprawling into the room's center. The doors slam behind him.

Tungsten gets up quickly and pulls in as much moisture as he can from the air. Unfortunately, it's not that much - barely enough to fill a small jar.

Lore, because of course the person that kicked him in the back _must_ have been Lore, is standing in front of him now, grinning slightly. He's paler than Anagard was and is wiry rather than muscular, but still clearly strong. His hair is reddish-brown, stringy and short.

And, of course, his left eye is solid black. An intricate pattern winds its way around it.

"Tungsten. Come to kill me, I suppose." He chuckles. "I'm afraid you're at a disadvantage, although you've probably figured that out."

He spreads his palms, and the lava begins to flow towards him. "You seem to have little initiative, I'll take the first blow if you don't mind."

Lore snaps his fingers, and the molten lava forms a threatening arrow shape as it shoots towards Tungsten, who flips backwards to avoid it.

He balances on the edge of the platform, but Lore doesn't give him any time to recover, once more sending lava flying towards Tungsten.

Time slows down for Tungsten, and he begins to see everything in slow motion. It's cooler at this end of the room, even though the lava is nearer. He looks up desperately, and watches beads of water drip from the ceiling.

Water. There's another cooling room, and it's _right there_. Now, if only he can reach it...

The lava surges onto where he kneels, and Lore laughs again. "So, not so tough now, are you?"

The molten liquid drips away off the platform again. There is nothing left except a few stray floating purplish sparks.

The second the black-eyed man notices the sparks, he reels back in panic. "_Hack._"

It's all he has time for. The ceiling cracks, then collapses downwards, sending thousands of gallons of water crashing into the room. Tungsten, his entire frame soaking wet and dripping, rides the wave down.

The room gets cooler and darker quickly as the lava is covered in water, turning to stone or obsidian wherever the splash hits.

Lore staggers to his feet, shaking his head to get some of the weight out. His left eye glitters slightly in the dark with a sort of black light. "Well played."

Tungsten laughs. "That was your mistake."

"Mistake? Whose mistake is it?" Lore waves his hand, and the darkness flows towards him just like the lava did. "Side Void, remember?"

He steps forward, then falls to the ground suddenly. "Augh! Wh-"

Tungsten, his pink eyes glittering, responds with a grim smile. "Water elementalist, remember?"

Lore claws at the air, gasping for breath as moisture leaks out of every part of his body, then collapses face-first in the water, unconscious.

Tungsten walks away, leaving the other man to drown. He's done what he came to do.

There's a flash of purple light again, and then he's back outside. He dries himself off, wraps a spare strip of cloth around his eye so the bleeding doesn't show, and swings the cloak back over his head.

Two corrupt officials down in one go. Not too bad.

_**END...?**_

* * *

**((So yeah. This was fun. Now you see why this anthology _and_ the Talentless series are rated T.**

**((Like I said at the top, please review!**


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